Listening Speaking Reading (aloud)

Pa r e n t s
listen – speak – read aloud
Striking a harmonious chord
with your children
Listening
Speaking
Reading (aloud)
Table of Contents
Foreword by the Ministries
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Why are listening, speaking, and reading (aloud) so important
for a child’s development? 4
How can the home become an ideal place for listening, talking,
and reading (aloud) to each other? • What parents can do to establish a successful listening and storytelling situation with their children • How parents can influence the attention levels and listening skills
of their children
• How parents can tell exciting and interesting stories at home • How parents can practise ad-lib storytelling at home What effects can listening, speaking, and reading (aloud) have? • What effect does reading (aloud) have on children?
• Multilingualism and reading culture – bilingual storytelling sessions Which books and audio plays are suitable for children?
• Quality criteria for children’s literature and media
• Picture books • Audio plays
• Where can parents find children’s books and audio plays?
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15
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How can parents become partners of childminders and
educational professionals in day care facilities and at school? 26
Day care facilities and elementary school as a place for reading (aloud)
and listening 27
Information channels on the subject
“Listening – Speaking –Reading (aloud)”
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Service • Materials from Stiftung Zuhören
• Materials from Stiftung Lesen
• Materials from the Ministries of Education and Social Affairs
• Hessian Educational Programme for children from 0 – 10 years of age
• Adresses
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The House of Family Communication
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Publisher Information
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Dear Parents,
“Reading is a childhood adventure without limitations”, as Astrid Lindgren, the
author of children’s books, so aptly put it. With this information brochure for
parents, we would like to encourage you to devote yourself to the wonderful and
important task of promoting the early listening, speaking, and reading skills of
your child, and to further develop these skills by offering new ideas.
This brochure for parents was created as part of the project “Striking a Chord: Listening – Speaking – Reading (aloud)” carried out by Stiftung Zuhören and Stiftung
Lesen (Foundations for the Promotion of Listening and Reading Skills) on behalf of
the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and the Hessian Ministry of Education. In a
first step, professionals in day care facilities and elementary schools were approached with a view to jointly bringing about significant improvements in children’s
listening, speaking and reading skills, by way of cooperation in “tandem”. In order
to achieve this aim, a successful educational partnership with day care facilities or
schools depends largely on an effective cooperation with you, the parents.
The project “Listening – Speaking – Reading (aloud)” supports the early education of your child, conveying to your child the “core skills” of language and media
competency, social skills, and communicative competence. These are essential
preconditions, which are important for successful academic and professional development as well as participation in social and political life. Listening, speaking,
and reading (aloud) are fun, and allow the children to enjoy texts and learn how
to use them for their own relaxation.
And you, dear parents, can make a significant contribution to ensuring that this joy
of listening, speaking, and reading (aloud) comes to occupy an important role in
the life of your child by using books, ad-lib storytelling, audio plays, and many other
options. Offering conscious listening, speaking, and reading experiences to children
will help promote their differentiated language skills. Your child will enjoy discovering new things and exploring his social environment together with you.
And this is where our brochure for parents comes in: It is designed to provide
you with a number of practical suggestions on how to encourage the three skills
“Listening – Speaking – Reading (aloud)” in your child.
We hope you and your child will enjoy this brochure and that you, as parents, will
find it equally rewarding to put it into practice.
Dorothea Henzler
Hessian Ministry of Education Stefan Grüttner
Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs
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Dear Parents,
Why are listening, speaking, and reading (aloud)
so important for a child’s development?
“Say Daddy! Say Mummy” – this is more or less the way children learn to speak:
Parents pronounce words, and children repeat them. Children listen very closely in
order to be able to repeat words. If parents speak clearly, it is easier for children to
distinguish words that sound similar (eg: back – pack, bat – cat, light – right – kite).
You can use the period from 0 – 10 years intensively to communicate verbally
with your children. During this time, children literally “hang on your lips.” Children never tire of the stories you as parents can tell or read, and you should also
listen when your children have something to tell you. This unity of “Listening
– Speaking – Reading (aloud)” combines wonderful conversation and listening
situations with a learning effect for the children – with virtually no extra effort.
When four-year-old Tamara is picked up from the day care center, she talks about
her experiences at the center on the way home. Six-year-old Felix walks home
from school with his friends. They talk about their day at school. Once he arrives
at home, Felix wants to have lunch and doesn’t feel like talking about school right
away. Later, at bedtime, he talks about school.
This example shows that children have the need to communicate at different
times of the day.
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Parents and childminders as well as the educational staff in kindergartens and
elementary schools are generally the closest attachment figures for children.
Therefore it is up to these individuals to speak with the children as frequently
as possible and in the most diverse ways, and to listen to them. Four-year-old
Tamara and six-year-old Felix are naturally curious, they want to know and understand everything they see and hear. Children learn to speak by listening carefully
and imitating. By reading (aloud), they learn new ways to express themselves.
Children learn from people, and they need relationships with people they know
and trust. Oral language and styles of speech are best conveyed by people. Media,
such as audio plays, audio books, computer program,s or DVDs can be used as
support. But they are never a substitute for personal conversation with real people! Listening, speaking, and reading (aloud) are essential preconditions for the
ability to take in and categorise relevant information at a later stage. Especially
for younger children, familiar adults are the ideal conversation partners.
In the family, with the childminders, at the day care centre and later at school,
enhancing the basic skills of children is best achieved in cooperation with the
parents. Ideally, parents, childminders and educational staff keep each other
informed about what topics the children are currently interested in. This way, the
listening and speaking behaviour within the family complements the day care
center and school.
The Hessian educational plan sees the family, childminders, kindergarten, and
school as partners who jointly support the children in developing their existing
skills at different times, and develop them further by building on each other.
In doing so, parents, childminders, and educational staff in kindergartens and
elementary schools should forge an educational partnership characterised by
mutual appreciation. This may be supplemented by stimulating learning opportunities that also encourage listening, speaking and reading (aloud). This way, the
children’s natural curiosity and thirst for knowledge are fostered in a positive way
by all parties involved. Children learn from adults and other children. The more
parents, childminders, children, and educational staff listen to each other and
Listening
Reading (aloud)
Speaking
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exchange ideas, the easier it will be for children to find their way in the world by
communicating. The transition from the family to the day care facility, to kindergarten, and then from kindergarten to school can often be completed more
smoothly and with fewer problems, thus better allowing the children to cope.
During these periods of transition from one institution to the next children are
particularly receptive and willing to learn. In this phase, children are especially curious about the world, in a positive sense. Each child displays individual learning
requirements, which are a foundation for further development of the child during
the first ten years of his life. This is a basis for the ongoing development of strong,
confident, and communicative children. Moreover, communicative children also
display media literacy, i.e. they use the various media such as books, television,
radio, DVD and CD player, computer, and mobile phone responsibly and display
good social behaviour. At the same time, multilingualism and cultural diversity
are enriching elements for a child’s world. As parents, you can offer your support
to promote the further development of these basic competencies in your children
and to help them develop strong personalities.
This guide offers practical examples and information on how listening, speaking,
reading (aloud) can enrich daily routines, and how adopting the various ideas presented here can be a fun experience for the whole family. In addition, it includes
information on where to find books and information brochures.
We hope you enjoy reading and subsequently experimenting!
Stiftung Zuhören (Foundation for the Promotion of Listening Skills)
Stiftung Lesen (Foundation for the Promotion of Reading Skills)
Appreciation
Offers stimulating learning
Communicative children
Support for children
Listening skills
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How can
the home become
an ideal place for listening, talking, and
reading (aloud) to each other?
In the home of Felix and Tamara, communication is very important. The children
are eager to talk about their experiences at school and kindergarten, and they always have questions for their parents to answer. The parents have an “open ear” for
the conversational needs of their children. They listen attentively, encourage them
to speak, and respond to their communicational needs. Reading picture books out
loud and telling stories are an integral part of everyday life in the family.
A very important precondition for ensuring that children will speak, read, and
write with competence later on is that you as parents listen carefully and ask
questions – without interrupting the narrative flow of the children. This will also
make the child feel appreciated. They are encouraged to express frankly and spontaneously whatever they happen to be preoccupied with. This prepares the ideal
ground for conversation. On this basis, the listening skills, speaking skills, and an
introduction to independent reading and writing are expanded playfully step by
step. As the children’s coordinated movement skills (e.g., drawing with a coloured
pencil, turning over the pages of a picture book, playing a musical instrument)
and their ability to recognise letters and pictures as symbols for real things improve, they also expand their skills of understanding and using spoken and written
texts and literature. This makes them ever more independent and creative in
terms of linguistic and written expression. They develop an understanding of the
real and abstract world and an ability to evaluate it and learn participate actively
in it as appropriate in a given situation.
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What parents can do to establish a successful listening and storytelling situation with their children
••Go on a family trip to the local museum. You can look at many different pictu-
res there – large, small, dark, bright, single or multi-coloured ones. Take a particularly close look at some of these pictures with your children. Back at home,
have the children recount the stories told by the pictures and paint them for
their own exhibition.
••Go on a family “listening excursion” outdoors in nature. Find a nice place to sit
down comfortably. Now close your eyes together and listen carefully: What do
you hear? What is there to be heard that cannot be seen? What can be heard
from above? A variety of this game is to blindfold the children with you as
father and mother playing “blind guides”. Then have the blindfolded children
try to identify as many sounds as possible. Afterwards, discuss the sounds and
draw a noise map. Where was there a lot of noise? Where was it quiet? What
sounds did hear? Of course, listening excursions can also be done at home.
want to hear the story again and again, you as have written down the story –
somewhat like an novel written in letter form. The letter is rolled up and tied
with a red ribbon. In the evening, it is taken out of story treasure chest and
read out to the children.
••You as parents write a serial story on your computer each week. Print each
chapter and put it into a story box. Have the children take the story out of the
box for reading aloud on Sunday evenings. To make it more exciting, you can
also print out a complete story in single chapters and then determine the order
together with the children.
••You as a mother spend a lot of time writing
at your computer. Devise an e-mail for your
child and print it. Read the written message
together with your child.
••Listen to an audio play together, as a family. Afterwards, make a model of the
main character using everyday materials, and act out the story again. Another
possibility is to interrupt the play and draw the ending as a picture story.
••Think of an object and describe it without mentioning its name. Have the
children guess what object you are talking about.
••A made-up fantasy story – in a fantasy language – is a lot of fun for children.
••You as a father or mother tell your children a story at bedtime. Because they
Suggestions for listening and storytelling situations
• Parents are important as a speech role model. Children imitate the way
adults speak, speaking distinctly and in full sentences like their role
models, listening attentively, responding to the person they are talking to,
and giving others a chance to say what they have to say.
• Play games that require a lot of spoken interaction with your children.
• Ask your children questions to which they can respond in detail.
• Promote the pleasure of speaking by taking turns reading out, inventing
rhymes, playing finger games, and singing songs with your children.
Looking closely
Telling stories together
Listening actively
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• Children are happy when you respond to their comments and thoughts.
• Careful questioning can encourage children to continue with their report.
• If you repeat the statements in corrected form, the children will perceive
these corrections in a positive way.
• Look for cozy, quiet places inside and outside the home (such as: living
room couch, patio lounge chair), to just sit and talk.
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How parents can influence the attention levels
and listening skills of their children
At first, children hear everything unfiltered. Little by little, they learn to listen.
Parents can contribute considerably to helping their children discover the world of
sounds around them and learn to more accurately distinguish between and identify the wealth of information, noises, sounds
and music they hear over time. This helps
to develop a more differentiated perception.
Children become more self-confident and
improve their ability to focus by learning to
associate the things they hear with a specific
meaning.
Listening skills do not develop all by themselves. Accurate and attentive listening takes
time and opportunities! Hearing and listening
cannot be accelerated.
As parents, you can support the listening experiences
of your children
• by taking the time to listen attentively,
• by pointing out interesting and significant auditory events (“Listen to that
sound” – great, funny, entirely new, strange...),
As parents, you can establish a positive conversational attitude
• by keeping eye contact with your children,
• by turning towards the child when you speak and listen,
• by sitting down with your children when you have a conversation (less
talking down and more eye to eye),
• by focusing on the conversation and avoiding distracting movements,
• by indicating agreement and responding to the conversational content of
your children by way of short sounds and very short questions (such as:
“Ah”, “What was that?”, “Hmm”, “Where?”).
How parents can tell exciting and interesting stories at home
Tamara and Felix love listening to stories. They love snuggling up close to Mummy
and/or Daddy on the small couch in the evening, just before going to bed. The
lights are dimmed, and they hear the familiar voice of their father or mother in the
dusky evening light. The two children listen to the story with rapt attention.
All children love bedtime story-telling rituals. These rituals give children a feeling
of security and show them that they can rely on their parents.
• and discussing with your children sounds and noises that mean something to you,
• by deliberately introducing terms as they are known in the world of
music, and which help distinguish sounds, such as “loud – quiet”, “bright
– dark,” “one – many”, “high – low”,
• by playing the “noise-naming game” with the children (even if though
this may at first not be easy): Is it a humming or a buzzing sound? Does it
squeak or creak? Is this scraping or scratching?
• by asking people in a different language how animals bark, meow, moo,
chirp, etc. in their language, and turning it into a guessing game. Many
children will be amazed to learn that other languages use different
sounds to describe animal noises.
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Differentiated
perception
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How parents can practise ad-lib storytelling at home
Story-telling occasions for different topics:
• Start by thinking up an idea for your story, such as: A visit to the zoo,
planning a trip to Grandma and Grandpa, a visit to the circus, a voyage by
ship, creating a birthday present, organising an outing with a picnic etc.
This way, you have provided a starting point, and the children can develop
their own ideas.
By listening to the narrator,
children perceive accurately
how the pitch of the voice
changes: speaking louder
or softer, every pause, every
spoken word, certain alterations in the pronunciation – all
of these narrative elements are registered by children. They respond to the rise
and fall in suspense, and to funny elements designed to provide amusement and
relief from suspense. Children quite literally “hang on to” the narrator’s lips and
listen consciously. In their own way, they understand what is said. This way, they
learn words, train their ability to focus, and learn to put the individual sections of
the story in context. The words of the narrator are transformed into images in the
child’s mind (mental images). This fosters children’s imagination, and the words
develop their symbolic power. If the children are distracted and their attention
wanders, take your time. Interrupt the narrative flow and ask the children about a
particular detail in the story. Try to involve the children in the story. Ask them how
the story might continue, or how they suppose the hero or heroine feels.
• Make a selection of “coloured” words, for example objects that are blue,
and then think up a “blue story”. You can also mix colours and then tell a
multi-coloured story.
• Use comparisons to begin a story, such as x is greater than y ...
• Find rhyming couplets, and expand them into a story.
• Start a story with a string sentence, such as In the city, there are/there are
no ..., Animals need ..., When I grow up, I want ato be a ..., As a pirate,
I would ...
• Imagine you and your children are flying through the air on a magic carpet, and talk about what the world looks like from above.
• Tell stories for different seasons of the year. Think of the current season
on the other side of the globe with your children, and tell a corresponding
story.
Narrative styles
• You can also tell stories together with others. Start a storytelling round:
A stone, a building block or the like is passed from one sibling to another,
and every child can talk about his or her experiences in turn.
Emotionality
Mental images
• Tell a fairy tale.
• Have a hand puppet act as the storyteller.
• Tell a story that is known in different countries. Compare the variations
on the theme.
• If you speak any other languages besides German, tell stories or fairy tales
in various languages. This way, the children will get a first-hand impression of the language.
• Tell a story based on pictures.
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• Using your own artistic name, slip into the role of the famous teller of
fairy tales for your children. For instance, dress up in a cloth for a cape for
storytelling and begin and end the story with a specific sound – in other
words: “stage” your story.
Story-telling games
• Cover a shoe box with coloured paper and fill it with objects that are going to play an important role in a story. At the beginning of the story, the
children can take a few items from the box without looking. First, discuss
the objects they have taken out with the children, and then work out
their order of appearance in the story. Introduce the objects in your story
according to this order.
• Tell animal stories. Accompany your story by making animal masks, drawing animals, perhaps cutting them up and reassembling them to invent
new funny animal names, and identifying animal sounds.
• Invent a fruit story. Arrange the different terms by groups such as fruit
or vegetables with your children. Then you can take your children to the
weekly farmers’ market, reenact a purchase at the market or identify
common fruits and vegetables together blindfolded. Fruits are also ideal
to learn adjectives such as soft, hard, sweet, sour, rough, furry, etc. The
same applies for learning colours. Concentration and memory skills can
be practised in a playful way, e.g. with the Shopping Game: “I put into my
trolley a ...”, which works along the same lines as the Pack Your Suitcase
Game: “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking with me ...”.
• One child says “A” loudly and goes through the alphabet quietly, until another child calls “stop”. The letter the child stops at determines the name
of the protagonist of the story. If you want to make it harder, you can also
specify that all nouns (e.g. nose, nutcracker, nightingale) must begin with
this letter. This way, an “N” story can for example be created.
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What effects
can listening, speaking, and reading (aloud) have?
When there are too many noises and other distracting factors in a room, communication becomes quite difficult. Speaking and listening require more of an effort,
and misunderstandings are more frequent. Many children also find it harder to
learn in the presence of such distracting factors, as they cannot concentrate. Research in the U.S. has shown that children growing up surrounded by high noise
levels from the outset (caused by factors such as TV or radio), learn to speak much
later and have a smaller vocabulary than children growing up in an environment
conducive to listening. Since we cannot simply close our ears, as is the case with
our eyes, all sounds have an impact on our soul and body, even if we are not
aware of it. Noise is a high stress factor for everyone, even though we may have
become used to it.
Parents can increase mutual awareness and understanding by protecting their
children from too much noise and establishing a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
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What effect does reading (aloud) have on children?
Looking at or reading aloud picture books together is instrumental in promoting in particular the development of thought processes in children. Combining
reading with dialogue and pointing out and naming the objects shown promotes
the linguistic abilities of the child and helps to expand the child’s vocabulary. This
ideal situation cannot be replaced by other media such as TV or CDs, as children
do not have the opportunity to ask questions or to determine the speed at which
information is seen and heard. Talking to other people is the easiest and best way
to learn a language. Especially when reading out loud, the reader should consider
the special needs of children and establish a connection to the children’s everyday
life. This way, the reading situation will be a lively exchange between parents and
children. Regularly reading aloud children’s literature can facilitate the smooth
transition to the childen’s reading on their own.
Regardless of whether you are reading to your
children as a father, mother, grandparent, brother
or sister, when reading aloud, the reader should
ensure that the child understands him or her well.
He or she will address the questions asked by the
child, and allow the child to look at the book. It
is important to actively involve the child in the
reading situation, allowing the child to comment,
and to encourage the child to take about the story
freely. In this way, reading aloud will be a shared
experience that promotes a child’s language skills,
listening skills, and mental development in a
playful way.
Children who frequently listen to stories read aloud have an improved ability to
focus on what they hear. If you have learned to listen, you will be able to discuss
what you hear; your mind is trained, and your vocabulary expanded. Additionally, imagination and creativity are fostered. This, in turn, is a precondition for
children’s learning to read on their own.
Suggestions for reading with children
• A moment of tranquility is perfect for reading aloud. Ideally, you should
ritualise the reading aloud, i.e. always have it take place at a specific time.
• A quiet, cozy place has a positive effect on the reading situation.
• Children may be impatient. By responding to questions, you can involve
the children in the story.
• Children feel appreciated when they are allowed to select the books.
• Stories that are read out again and again tend to become routine. Take
turns reading with the children in order to vary the reading rhythm.
• It is best to read from books that also appeal to you. This way, reading
aloud will be fun for you as well. If the children insist on reading a book
of their choice that does not appeal to you, then you should comply with
their wish. But do indicate that you have problems with this book and ask
the children why it is specifically this book they want to read.
• Take the time to talk during and after reading.
• Spontaneous reading aloud is fun.
Reading (aloud) project “My dad reads to me”
Mutual attention
and understanding
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An offer specifically directed at fathers was initiated jointly by the “hessen
foundation – family has a future” and the Reading Foundation, with the support
of Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs in the form of the project “My dad reads to
me”. Fathers working in companies that participate in the project can download
free stories for reading out aloud to their children from the Intranet, and/or print
them free of charge, to give their children story-telling moments
(www.stiftunglesen.de/mein_papa).
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Multilingualism and reading culture
– bilingual storytelling sessions
One fourth of all children born in Germany in 2003 grow up in a multilingual
environment (source: Goetheinstitut: Mehrsprachigkeit Sprachen ohne Grenzen,
www.goethe.de/ges/spa/prj/sog/ud/de362120.htm). Exposure to multiple languages promotes an open approach to differences in general and other cultures
in particular. The first language is the basis for learning other languages. But
children can also grow up with several languages simultaneously. It is crucial for
language development that each language be associated with a specific person
who uses it when speaking to the child in everyday life. Multilingualism is a valuable benefit for children and teaches them about different cultural lifestyles and
values. The children are introduced to the customs of other cultures and learn to
accept and respect each other.
One exciting option is multi-language reading; this is fun for all members of the
family and is at the same time a sign of appreciation of all languages spoken in
the family. Today, an increasing range of children’s literature is available as translations. In addition, more and more children’s books come with CDs or DVDs that
include translations into other languages. Even if you do not speak the language
in question, you can still listen to the story in different languages. Ideally, the native speaker will read aloud in his native language, while another person can read
or translate the relevant passage into German.
Multilingualism
Which books
and audio plays are suitable for children?
Quality criteria for children’s literature and media
Which children’s books are good? Which audio media are good? Which criteria
can help parents evaluate children’s books and audio media? Which aspects merit
particular attention?
Experts distinguish between the artistic, literary, and educational assessment
of picture books and audio media. Our focus is on the educational aspect of
children’s books and audio plays. In this context, individual attitudes regarding a
particular book/audio play an important role. Issues such as whether the parents
enjoy the book/radio play affect reading and listening behaviour. What are the
reasons for enjoying or rejecting a book? Do parents read books aloud to their
children or listen to audio plays together even if they don’t like them? Can children assert their wishes anyway? This may lead to interesting literary discussions
and debates about content and format of the media. How do the parent’s personal media experiences affect the selection of children’s media?
Multilingual reading
Cultures
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Picture books
Content aspects of children’s literature
(picture books)
There are a number of quality criteria that good and especially child-friendly picture books should meet. In addition, personal preferences obviously always play a
role. A picture book contains a sequence of informational, entertaining, storytelling images that are often associated with a common theme or a continuous
story. Text and images complement each other and are referenced to each other.
Especially for younger children, pictures help understand the text. The artistic
freedom of the illustrators allows different ways of interpreting images. Realistic
depictions help the children to understand the connection between images and
words. It is important that content, language, and illustration form a consistent unit, which are either matched or intentionally opposed to each other. The
narrative style should use the element of suspense to ensure that the readers or
listeners are curious to see how the story continues or ends.
Children love stories that reflect their own
experiences, because this enables them
to empathise more readily with the main
characters. They develop empathy for the
characters, suffer and rejoice with them.
They develop solutions to the problems of
the protagonists, and transfer their experiences to their own lives.
Visual aspects of children’s literature (picture books)
Children are not yet set in their artistic tastes. Picture books help children to train
their aesthetic perception. It is therefore particularly valuable for children to
become acquainted with a wide variety of different artistic styles. The expressive
power of the images is important. It is not always the brightest, boldest colours
that appeal to children. Illustrations with soft colours or in black and white also
stimulate the imagination of children.
Suggestions for selecting picture books:
• Can the children identify with one or more of the characters in the story?
• Are the interests, experiences, problems of children addressed?
• Does the content inspire thinking along and ahead?
• Does the book trigger the imagination of the children and leave room for
wishes and dreams?
• What images are created in the mind?
• Are there no discriminating or offensive elements (racial, sexual, political,
or social)?
Suggestions for selecting picture books:
• Does the content stimulate discussion and dialogue?
• Do the pictures arouse curiosity, do they trigger questions?
• Do the pictures prompt closer inspection?
• Are the pictures appealing? (This is largely a matter of personal taste;
however, the images should not be scary or repulsive.)
• Are the topics of the text pictured on the same page?
• Is the personality of the characters displayed appropriately? Are their
feelings and moods reflected in their facial expressions?
Developing
empathy
• Do the pictures stimulate conversation?
• Are the sections of the story appropriate for the children’s ability to concentrate?
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Language aspects of children’s literature (picture books)
Effects of children’s literature (picture books) on children
Children’s books, i.e. picture books reflect the stage of language development of
the young readers or rather listeners. In other words, the language is simple, clear,
and structured as appropriate for this age group. The children are not linguistically overchallenged, and they are offered suggestions and ideas to help expand
their vocabulary and to use language playfully.
Children’s and picture books carry off young readers to a different place, i.e. the
children find themselves part of the stories. At the same time, their curiosity for
the unknown is piqued. In addition, picture books generate opportunities for storytelling and dialogue,
thereby promoting communication between
parents and children. At a certain age, girls and
boys may begin to develop different interests.
This is frequently reflected in a preference for
certain topics such as horses or boarding school
stories, or rather non-fiction and comic books.
Suggestions for selecting picture books:
• Is the language consistent with the pictures or the characters?
• Is the language contemporary?
• Is the language understandable and appropriate for children?
• Does the language stimulate vocabulary enhancement? Are different types
of words used? Are any terms used that need to be explained before reading so as to facilitate listening and allow children to listen carefully?
• Is life-like language used (e.g. by imitation of sounds, comparisons, direct
speech)?
Suggestions for selecting picture books:
• Are length and language appropriate to the absorption capacity of children?
• Are the children already familiar with the theme of story, or is it new to
them?
• Does the story give the children opportunities to express their own experiences, imagination, and ideas?
• Does the story leave space for the personal development of children?
• Does the story relate to the life and experiences of children?
• What knowledge and experience does the book require the children
to have? Are the characters of the story already familiar from previous
books? Is the story always set in the same location?
Enhancing vocabulary
Contemporary language
22
• What feelings are triggered in children (joy, fear, tension, anger, insecurity, joy, fun)?
• Does the story appeal more to girls or boys?
23
Audio plays
You as parents are listening to an audio play with your children:
Voices, sounds, noises, and music: Audio plays use
these ingredients to create images in the mind.
What these “images in my head” look like depends
on the (hearing) experiences of an individual. They
way a person views the content, language and effect
of a story applies to both books and audio plays.
However, when selecting audio books and audio
plays, you should look at additional criteria: Speaker
and voices, as well as noises, music and sounds.
• Although children enjoy being “all ears” and getting caught up in an audio play on their own, they will be thrilled to have you join them to listen
to an audio play together once in a while.
Suggestions for the selection of audio books:
• Audio plays can encourage careful listening. Think of a couple of words
before listening to the radio play. Everyone is allowed to pick a word (e.g.
buy). When this particular word comes up in the radio play, the person
claps his or her hands, and says it aloud.
Speakers and voices
While actors and actresses in films are characterised by their expression,
their looks, the environment, and their actions, the speaker in a radio play
relies on his or her voice alone. Good speakers have a clear pronunciation,
vary their speech to make text passages interesting, and emphasise the
content appropriately. Their voices should match the characters: Older
figures should sound their age. The same applies to young characters. In
addition, the voice level of the people should match their moods: A sad
child should not sound excited. It is also important that different voices can
be distinguished easily. This way, it is easier for children to picture the characters and thereby reinforce their imagination. If the voices are too similar,
children will find it difficult to keep track of the story.
Music, sounds and noises
Music, sounds and noises have a tremendous effect on the contents of a
story and should ideally be used selectively in an audio play. They can establish different moods, such as joy, fear, sadness, or empathy. Music also creates suspense. It can highlight the mood of a situation, or separate individual
scenes from each other. If an audio play contains sounds, they should sound
realistic: A plane sounds different from a helicopter. Background noises
heard at a particular location should change when the location within the
story changes.
24
• To make it easier to understand the audio play, it may be helpful to stop
the CD frequently or continue it at a later stage.
• You can draw individual scenes or people, or create objects, persons, animals or scenes using everyday objects.
• The content of the story inspires questions, speaking and listening. Discuss the contents with the children, for example the hero or heroine. You
can also ask questions such as: What do you think the person looks like?
What do you think will happen next? How many voices did you hear? Reenact scenes, or think up new scenes.
• It may be interesting to pay attention to the noises in a radio play only, for
example to imitate them after listening
Where can parents find children’s books and audio plays?
Bookstores usually have a large assortment of children’s literature and audio
media, but they are also sold in department stores and other stores. A cheaper
alternative is to borrow children’s books and audio books from the local library.
Here, you sometimes have the opportunity to listen in to audio books to get an
idea of the story. Many kindergartens and elementary schools have set up their
own small libraries and lend out children’s media to take home. The same is true
for family education centres. Another possibility is for children to exchange books
and CDs with friends of the family.
25
How can parents be
Day care facilities
come partners of childminders and educational
professionals in day care facilities and at school?
and elementary school as a place
for reading (aloud) and listening
There are several ways to maintain contact and provide information to parents.
Good educational partnerships between parents, childminders, educational staff
in kindergartens and elementary schools are characterised by mutual respect and
understanding for each other. This manifests itself, amongst other things, in regular conversations, taking each other seriously, and listening carefully. This way, the
transition from the family to the childminder and on to the day-care centre and
school is made easier for the children. Such educational partnerships are characterised by the mutual provision of information. There are not only serious reasons
to talk to each other, but also relaxed and fun opportunities to exchange ideas.
Regular meetings with parents to review a child’s development are important
and necessary. But a brief conversation in pasing when dropping the child off at
the childminder’s, at kindergarten or school are equally important. This shows
the child: “I’m interested in the people and surroundings with whom and in
which you are going to spend the next few hours”. The joint interest in the child’s
well-being always has first priority. Over time, this will establish a relationship of
mutual trust between all parties involved.
Under the motto “Opportunity makes the reader and listener”, space and opportunities for reading and listening can be made available in day care facilitites and
elementary schools. Many day care centres and schools offer reading hours for
children. You can offer to participate as a reader or storyteller.
How can parents get involved in festivals
Just as reading and listening are part of kindergarten and elementary school life,
they can also be incorporated in festivals at the day care center and at school. You
can offer your help as a reading tutor or storyteller at festivals or on the occasion
of the nationwide Reading Day.
The kindergarten year and the school year provide many occasions for festivities
where reading (aloud) can be integrated. Many day care centres and elementary
schools now jointly offer opportunities for parental involvement and exchange.
Educational Partnerships
Relationship of mutual trust
26
27
Examples:
• Apple Festival
Some kindergartens and schools celebrate the harvest festival – a variation of
this is the Apple Festival. Tell apple stories at the Apple Festival. Draw and write
apple picture books with the children, and invent rhymes. You can also
make collages from natural materials or create the picture of an apple
from crepe paper balls. You as parents can also make apple cake or
apple pie with the kindergarten team and/or the teachers together
with children, using different apple varieties. Perhaps there is also the
possibility to plant an apple tree on the kindergarten or school grounds.
This may be accompanied by singing.
• Halloween Party/Ghost Party
Join the crowd at a Halloween Party where the children dress up as ghosts. You,
the parents, can make costumes from old sheets, for example. Offer “blood”
(cherry juice) and “brown liquor” (children’s cola) as drinks. Read out ghost
stories and stage a ghost dance with the children and the kindergarten or
school team. This can be accompanied by eery music or an exciting radio play
(e.g. “The Ghost of Saarbrücken Castle” and “The Canterville Ghost”). For the
really brave, you can arrange for tests of courage such as “go down into the
basement in the dark” or feeling objects in a “case of horrors”.
• Reading/listening night
A reading/listening night can take place both at the day care center and at
the elementary school. It can be a special experience for the children starting
school soon if the reading out/listening night is held in their future elementary
school.
• Organising a reading/listening quiz
Read out a story without mentioning the name of the main character, which
must be guessed afterwards. This activity is a fun event at any festival in kindergarten or elementary school. For advanced listeners, you can increase the
level of difficulty and organise a reading/listening quiz. Here, children have to
answer questions about well-known children’s books and audio plays that were
read or listened to together. For the little ones, a children’s book character drawing contest can be held, the results of which are then displayed in an exhibition.
Whatever the activity, the emphasis should always be on the fun element.
28
Information channels
on the subject: Listening – Speaking – Reading (aloud)
• Making a bulletin board with the parents – for the parents
With this form of presentation, children can be asked to help. The educational
staff in kindergartens and elementary schools write down together with you,
the parents, which reading/listening projects they have carried out or planned,
collect the lyrics of songs and the texts of stories, pictures and crafts of the
children, photos, etc. and put them all together in a collage in newspaper format. This bulletin board can then be presented on the occasion of a media week
at the day care centre or school. A modern-day alternative, the newspaper can
be transferred to computer and emailed.
• Reading/listening parents evening
Take part in a special parents’ evening “All about children’s media”. Here, you
will bei presented with information from the kindergarten team and/or the
school team on activities focused on listening, language and reading skills
throughout the kindergarten and school year. Besides the presentation of work
results, performances by the children are also possible. You as parents have the
opportunity to obtain information and ask questions about any topics you may
be interested in.
• Children’s Media Exhibition
Provide suggestions and tips for regular children’s media exhibitions in kindergarten and in school. If you recommend books or audio plays to the day care
centre or school, for instance, they may be integrated. The local library or book
store can also give advice and help with the exhibition. The children’s or your
own favourite media can be presented, and a thematic exhibition could also be
organised.
29
The House
of Family Communication
Service
Selection of books and media
A basic knowledge of picture books and
children’s books and audio plays as well
as the children’s audio book market
facilitate the selection, use and work with
these media.
Tips on how to select the appropriate
book are available at libraries, book stores
and in reviews such as those published by
the Listening Foundation and the Reading
Foundation www.stiftunglesen.de/
leseempfehlungen.
Where can I find recommendations for
audio plays?
Once a month, a newly released CD is
recommended by the Listening Foundation. This recommendation can be found
free of charge on the Internet at www.
stiftung-zuhoeren.de.
This includes suggestions for further
playful work with children, and information about the production. On the
homepage, there is also an archive with
information about previous recommendations (www.stiftung-zuhoeren.de/
cd-des-montas/archiv ).
Material from Stiftung Zuhören (Listening Foundation):
CD of the month (www.stiftung-zuhoeren.de/cd-des-monats)
Newsletter (www.stiftung-zuhoeren.de)
Materials from Stiftung Lesen (Reading
Foundation):
Growing with Books & Media
ISBN: 978-3-86613-419-5
Growing up with reading
Reading recommendations online (www.
stiftungLesen.de/Leseempfehlungen)
My dad reads aloud
(www.stiftunglesen.de/mein_papa)
30
www.wirlesenvor.de/
der_bundesweite_vorlesetag.html
Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs
Publications:
Our child
Reading guide “Little girls read, so do
little boys”
In the early evening, Tamara and Felix come home. Their mother meets them at the front door
and asks what they did in kindergarten, at the day care centre, and at school and at Ahmed’s
house. Dinner is a very lively affair, because each family member tells the others what he or she
experienced during the day. Felix still has a question on a homework assignment. Tamara talks
about the planned summer festival at the day care centre, to which the parents are also invited
– they can also take part in the organisation. After dinner with the family, there’s a bedtime
story for both children, and they tell their father and mother about some other events of the
day that were not discussed at dinner.
Evening
Hessisches Kultusministerium:
www.hessisches-kultusministerium.de
Schule/Grundschule/Förderung/Leseinfo
Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs
and the Hessian Ministry of Education:
Education from the outset – Training
and education plan for children from
0-10 years in Hessen
Addresses:
Stiftung Zuhören
(Listening Foundation)
c/o Hessischer Rundfunk
Bertramstraße 8
60320 Frankfurt
www.stiftung-zuhoeren.de
Stiftung Lesen
(Reading Foundation)
Römerwall 40
55131 Mainz
www.stiftunglesen.de
Gemeinsame Geschäftsstelle
Bildungs- und Erziehungsplan
Dostojewskistraße 4
65187 Wiesbaden
www.bep.hessen.de
All the children play together, have breakfast,
listen to a story, and have lunch. In the early
afternoon, Tamara is picked up from day care.
The students set up a reading and listening
club in the classroom with their teacher. To
this end, they first discuss which media are
required, and where they are to be stored. At
the end they have a story read out to them.
After school, Felix goes to Ahmed’s home for
lunch and afternoon play.
Daytime
The group leader welcomes Sofia and Tamara.
The other children say hello to Sofia and
Tamara. Together they go to the play corner
and continue working on the doll house they
started to build yesterday .
Sofia’s childminder picks up
Tamara. She takes the two
girls to the day care center
girls.
The elementary school teacher is waiting
for the First Grade children. The first lesson
is “reading”. All students have brought their
favourite book from home.
The father says goodbye to his
children at the front door. Then he
sets of for work.
Felix’s friend Ahmed
rings the doorbell and
picks him up to go to
school.
In the morning before breakfast, Tamara is lying down on the carpet, trying to finish the puzzle
she started yesterday. Her brother Felix is not interested, he prefers collecting his football
trading cards, which he wants to show to his best friend Ahmed at school. The
father calls out from the bathroom, asking whether the two of them are dressed.
In the kitchen, the mother is busy with the breakfast dishes, she has to leave and
says goodbye to the children. Now the two children must hurry to get ready quickly:
The day care centre and elementary school are waiting. As usual, there are
discussions about what to wear, and whether the cereal should be mixed
with milk or with cocoa. There is much discussion at breakfast.
Morning
Here is an example of a typical day in a family. All family members talk about the
things they experienced in the course of the day.
31
Pa r e n t s
A project initiated by:
listen – speak – read aloud
Sponsored by:
Striking a harmonious chord
with your children
Listening
Publisher Information:
Publisher: Stiftung Zuhören, Stiftung Lesen
Written and edited by: Sigrid Strecker, Claudia Roth, Volker Bernius, Simone Groos
Press date: Oktober 2010
Picture credits:
Title: Stiftung Lesen; Fotolia: Title:
© sonya etchison; S. 4: © dephoto;
p. 7: © BlueOrange Studio; p. 9: © Rob; S. 10, 26: © contrastwerkstatt; p. 12: © Thomasz Markowski;
p. 12: © goodluz; p. 15, 21: © Corbis; p. 16: © Brebca; p. 19:
© Deklofenak; p. 23, 24: © DURIS
Guillaume; p. 27: © Blend Images;
p. 29: © kai-creativ
Design: Andrea Adler & Alice Hubert,
hauptsache:design, Mainz
Translation:
Übersetzungsbüro Engin GmbH
Printers: Printec Repro-Druck,
Kaiserslautern
Circulation: 3.300
Speaking
©Stiftung Zuhören,
Stiftung Lesen
Reading (aloud)